President's Message

"No-Kill is Killing Us"

The Morongo Basin Humane Society, which runs the no-kill animal shelter in Joshua Tree, is in an unenviable position. We have found that the concept ofno-kill may one day soon kill off the shelter. Every one of the staff, volunteers, and board members believes in the idea that no adoptable animal should be euthanized and some seemingly unadoptable animals can become someone’s treasured pet with time and training. The problem is that this belief of complete commitment to the health and well being of every pet in the shelter comes at a very high price.

When a shelter animal gets sick or sustains an injury, it can be very costly. Every animal in the shelter is altered, given all age appropriate shots, and micro chipped, which takes at least $90 of the $125 adoption fee for dogs and $50 of the $75 adoption fee for cats. If an animal gets sick, it is treated at the local vet clinics. The veterinary hospitals in Yucca Valley have been very good to us, but they have bills to pay too, so nothing is free. The Morongo Basin as a community has been phenomenal in its support of our shelter. Every fundraiser and call for help has been answered with terrific generosity. Unfortunately constant fundraising and pleas for help runs down everyone, from our small but energetic board members to our die-hard volunteers. We are looking into grants that might help us through some rough spots, but none of this will eventually keep us open. We need a consistent monetary base that we can rely on. Our Guardian Angel program is that commitment. If 400 citizens would choose the shelter as their charity and commit to donating $20 a month, we would be able to function no matter what emergency arises. The Shelter and the no-kill concept can only exist if the community deems it worthy of support. We are hoping that at least 400 community members will think this is a cause worth saving and will provide that support.